Abstract:

Intimate partner violence among adolescents is a serious and widespread problem. It is apparent that victims of intimate partner violence experience physical and psychological consequences. These adverse health effects can result in adolescents seeking care from healthcare professionals. However, intimate partner violence victims do not always receive the care and response they need. Because adolescents are reporting that not all healthcare professionals are screening for intimate partner violence, one must come to understand the factors that are hindering this occurrence. Although previous research has provided a foundation for understanding factors that influence intimate partner violence screening, researchers have not specifically examined factors related to family medicine residents’ screening adolescent patients. The present study examined responses from 118 family medicine residents across the United States. Data were collected through an online survey and were analyzed using a multiple regression, a repeated measures ANOVA, and a one-way ANOVA. The multiple regression analysis revealed that together, year in residency, previous identification of victims of intimate partner violence, and self-efficacy significantly predicted intimate partner violence screening among adolescent patients. The repeated measures ANOVA had a statistically significant interaction effect for patient’s gender and presenting medical concern on screening adolescent patients for intimate partner violence. The one-way ANOVA revealed that the frequency of family medicine residents’ screening adolescent patients for intimate partner violence did not significantly differ among the regional locations of residency programs in the United States.